Council budget: Targeting support to make things fairer
Council tax
The budget includes a 4.95% increase in Council Tax for 2025 / 26.
This increase is partly due to the Government's adult social care levy, which is specifically for social care services, and partly due to a general rise in Council tax.
2% of the increase is for the adult social care levy.
Even with this increase, we believe our Council tax should still be the 4th lowest out of 12 councils in the North East.
For most households (Band A), this increase means paying about £1.22 more per week. The new local council tax support scheme started in 2024, helping around 12,500 households pay less council tax, showing our commitment to fairness.
Like everyone else, the Council faces rising costs and demand and we can't spend more money than we have (know as a deficit).
If we don't increase our income, we might have to reduce or stop important services that people need.
The Council tax bill also includes charges from other services like police and fire departments. You could think of it as a borough tax, not just Council tax, as the money you pay goes to a range of public and emergency services, not just the Council.
The Council tax increase for Northumbria Police is £9.33 a year for Band A properties, and for Tyne and Wear Fire services, it's £3.33 a year for Band A properties.